Even the Housework Lord??
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
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Gather 'round ladies, because today we are comin' clean! We are going to take a look at the practical side of what it means to be a keeper at home - keeping a clean and tidy home.
But wait??? Does God really care what my home looks like? While there is no such Scripture that says, 'Woman, thou shalt keep thy home clean, tidy and scrubbed", He does call us to be keepers and managers (1 Timothy 5) of our homes.
We need to keep in mind that everything we have belongs to our Father. Therefore, does it not make sense that we should take care of what He has entrusted us with? Now, that isn't to say that your house will be in perfect order with tubs that shine, no crumbs on the floor, or (we do after all live in our homes). I do believe, however, that as keepers and managers of our homes, we should keep our homes tidy and well kept.
I'll be honest, when I was first married, I was a "drill sergeant" in this area. If my home wasn't
perfect all the time, I'd freak out a little. And my poor husband would bear the brunt of it. That is NOT what God wants. The other side of the ditch is the mom or wife that does nothing and allows dirt and clutter to take over her home creating an environment of unorderliness and chaos. There is a middle ground and sometimes it is hard to find!!One of the things that has helped me over the past several years is to stand at my front door and look at my home through "company's eyes". Meaning, if I were having someone over to my home, how would they view the home when they walked through the door. Would my home be an inviting place for them to come in for a visit or would they be so distracted with the filth that they couldn't relax and enjoy themselves? This has greatly helped me keep things "in check".
As our family grows, so does our mess. Several things have helped me over the years keep this in check:
Get the children involved. As soon as they can crawl, they are old enough to start learning how to put up a toy. As they grow older incorporate them into the housework. Have them work side by side with you until they get a task down and can do it on their own. Not only does that help with the housework, but it is precious time spent with your children. You are, in turn, training your children and preparing them for taking care of their own home one day.
Make a cleaning schedule. It doesn't have to be extremely detailed. Just get something down on paper so that you can organize your thoughts and see exactly what needs to be done in your home. It might help to assign certain days to certain tasks and certain people to specific jobs. A while back, on my personal blog, I shared one of my schedules HERE. We do deviate from that a bit at times and since then it has been tweaked some, but it helps having something down. It is good to look at other women's schedules to get ideas and such, BUT ONLY if you realize that everyone's schedule will be different and done according to her individual family. We are not cookie cutter mom's and wives nor are our homes, so each will run and manage her home differently.
Divide your tasks up. Think about things that MUST be done daily in order for your home to function. For me, the bathtub shining is NOT something that must be done everyday. But, tidying up the living room, dinning room and kitchen MUST be done in order for our home to operate and peace to abound!
I could go on and on about this topic today - it is an area that the Lord has truly dealt with me on over the last several years. One of the biggest things He has shown me in the area of housework and keeping a clean home is that I do it for Him.
Even our housework should be done for the Lord and for HIS glory. When I realized that, it put the idea of being a keeper and manager of my home in a whole different perspective!
As our family grows, so does our mess. Several things have helped me over the years keep this in check:
Get the children involved. As soon as they can crawl, they are old enough to start learning how to put up a toy. As they grow older incorporate them into the housework. Have them work side by side with you until they get a task down and can do it on their own. Not only does that help with the housework, but it is precious time spent with your children. You are, in turn, training your children and preparing them for taking care of their own home one day.
Make a cleaning schedule. It doesn't have to be extremely detailed. Just get something down on paper so that you can organize your thoughts and see exactly what needs to be done in your home. It might help to assign certain days to certain tasks and certain people to specific jobs. A while back, on my personal blog, I shared one of my schedules HERE. We do deviate from that a bit at times and since then it has been tweaked some, but it helps having something down. It is good to look at other women's schedules to get ideas and such, BUT ONLY if you realize that everyone's schedule will be different and done according to her individual family. We are not cookie cutter mom's and wives nor are our homes, so each will run and manage her home differently.
Divide your tasks up. Think about things that MUST be done daily in order for your home to function. For me, the bathtub shining is NOT something that must be done everyday. But, tidying up the living room, dinning room and kitchen MUST be done in order for our home to operate and peace to abound!
I could go on and on about this topic today - it is an area that the Lord has truly dealt with me on over the last several years. One of the biggest things He has shown me in the area of housework and keeping a clean home is that I do it for Him.
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. (Col 3:23-24)
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
Even our housework should be done for the Lord and for HIS glory. When I realized that, it put the idea of being a keeper and manager of my home in a whole different perspective!
Let' s get a little vulnerable here ladies - do you keep a neat and tidy home?
If so, what do you do to keep on top of this? Schedules? Routines? If you have children at home, do they get involved?
If you are lacking in this area, why do you think that is?
If so, what do you do to keep on top of this? Schedules? Routines? If you have children at home, do they get involved?
If you are lacking in this area, why do you think that is?
The second scripture makes sense and is a help to me, thanks.
Great post - certainly something I need to work on (housework isn't my favourite thing).
Everyone says my house is spotless and they wonder how I do it with 2 of my own kids and the 2 - 4 kids I care for regularly. It's actually quite simple and God is my inspiration! He loves to help us :)
We have a daily routine (not a hard and fast schedule - you have to be flexible with little ones) and I have split up the cleaning tasks into things I do daily, weekly and monthly.
Daily duties include cleaning the kitchen after every meal, tidying up (before naps and every evening) and vacuuming (we spend lots of time outdoors so grass, etc. is tracked in . . . we also have a dog - gotta keep on top of that dog hair!).
Weekly duties include dusting and cleaning bathrooms.
Monthly duties include high dusting (fans, blinds, etc.) washing floors and windows.
My kids are 5 and 3. The kids I care for range in age from 2 - 6. All of them are capable of putting their own shoes away, cleaning up toys and taking their dishes to the sink. The biggest mess in our home is all the toys so we've organized everything into bins in the kids closets and they are not allowed into the closets without permission. Usually they pick a bin or 2 and we have "theme" days. For example, the train toys will be out for a day and we'll color, read and watch videos about trains. This makes for very little mess at the end of the day, the kids enjoy it and Mommy isn't frazzled!
One last thing - I pray constantly for wisdom as God has promised to give it liberally. He knows best what will work for each family - like you said, we're not cookie cutter moms ;)
Dyan
Fantastic post on a subject I am sure we all struggle with in one way or another! I certainly struggle with the doing things heartily.
Collette xxx
Keeping a welcoming home is not always easy with three boys barreling in and out. You hit the nail on the head when you talked about schedule. Following a routine means that even if we miss a day (or a week) the house can quickly be restored to order because we put it there on a regular basis so there is not too much to do.
I also recommend releasing the clutter and extra stuff. Remember that anything you hold on to that you don't need is just one more thing getting in the way of the blessings God wants to give.
I love a clean home. But it is not about impressing others. I have found that when I clean, organize, sort and put away, I am thinking..I am praying...I am listening to God. I am worshiping. And I get some good thoughts.
I love to put on some great music that is Christ centered and sing loudly...and I don't care.
So, whistle or sing, or pray..worship while you work.
I have four kids and one destructo 2 year old but I have found that a chore list for each kid that is completely reasonable and flexible keeps my home very clean on a daily basis. When I forget to print out the chore list on Mondays nothing gets done, lol. They have to have the list in front of their faces, myself included, to be able to cross off the chores as done. I have recently added exercise for us all on the list and a daily Bible reading. Currently I took the 48 scriptures that say who we are in Christ that a Joyce Meyers book has listed in the back of her book and put them on my computer and printed them out. Each of us has a copy and we read them out loud to ourselves. The children have been reading them as a part of the chore list but it is amazing that you can ask my kids who they are in Christ and by reading them daily they can quote so many scriptures as to their identity in Jesus!! I highly recommend this as part of a daily chore list for ourselves and the kids.
Jenn
I just posted a blog YESTERDAY telling how I clean in the midst of my kiddos! Check it out!
http://womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-do-i-clean-in-midst-of-these-kids.html
I just posted something along these lines on my blog recently, called "A Cheerful and Willing
Housekeeper":
http://thelegacyofhome.blogspot.com/2009/07/cheerful-and-willing-housekeeper_20.html
In my house, my children are all older. So it is
easier to keep things clean. I just work a bit here and there on whatever needs to be done throughout the day. This way, it all stays pretty neat.
blessings
Mrs. White
Thank you for this uplifting post!
I read this just ten minutes after writing my post about my kiddos and housework. I enjoyed what you wrote!
A clean organized home releaves stress on your life and the life of your family. That in itself, in these days is a great blessing. A clean organized home, with eeryone cleaning behind theirself give eeryone more time for the things that God has laid before them and time alone with HIM in a cold atmosphere that enable us to hear Him...now I need to READ what I jsut posted!!
Blessings
Well, I for one truly needed to hear this. I have simply been slacking in this area.
I think due to the fact that I have stopped waking early to meet with my Lord, and thus all semblence of a schedule has gone out the window.
Well, of course, I think this is a call to action. thanks so much for being so honest.
I need to be held accountable. Prayers are always welcome!!